The laser lighting assembly mounted on a forklift to project a light beam parallel to and in the same plane as a fork, which is used to accurately direct the fork into a fork receiving volume of a pallet, as illustrated and described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/151,479, is successfully being used to avoid fork damage to a load supported on a pallet. During these period of such successful use, some of those persons who operate the forklift, supervise such operations, and/or have the responsibility over the overall businesses involved, have suggested new requirements they would like to have considered, to improve the advantages to be gained by mounting and operating the laser lighting assembly on a forklift.
To meet suggestions, requests, and/or demands, improvements to the laser lighting of assembly, in conjunction with other components and related circuitry, are now provided to increase the overall controls and effectiveness of utilizing a laser lighting assembly mounted on a forklift, as shown in the drawings and described in the specification of this application, in comparison with the disclosure in the previous application Ser. No. 09/151,479.
An eye flash from the laser used, known as a class III A Laser, is understood not to be a possible cause of a person""s eye damage. Yet to eliminate this perception of such a possible injury, and/or to avoid a nearby worker being startled by a laser flash, possibly causing him or her to have an accident,ran improvement is provided, whereby the laser lighting assembly is automatically controlled only to be on, when a selected pallet fork receiving volume is located at least a given height above floor or ground level.
Currently, the selected height is seven feet, and the selected way of providing this improvement, utilizes infrared waves emitting and receiving equipment mounted at different locales on the forklift. The emitter is adjusted to be effective in a volume above seven feet. Therefore, until the receiver reaches the seven foot level, the laser lighting assembly, via circuitry configurations, will be inactive until the receiver arrives at the seven foot level. Then the receiver becomes active at this level and higher levels served by operating a designated forklit, and the laser lighting assembly is tuned on.
Where these possible concerns are not thought to be necessary at anytime this improvement may not be wanted, and the laser lighting assembly will be on at all levels.
However, when a forklift is to be operated, where these concerns are important most of the time, yet, with precautions, the observance of the reflected laser light beam must be observed at lower levels by an operator, then an overriding control is provided to turn on the laser lighting assembly when operations are undertaken below the selected foot level, which generally is the seven foot level.
In respect to the best positioning of the forks, beyond the correct level of the tips of the forks, there is the need to horizontally position the entire length of each one of the forks. Therefore an another added component, and it""s circuitry are utilized to control the on time of the laser lighting assembly, so a laser light beam will only be created and be observable by the operator, when the entire lengths of both forks are horizontal, and parallel to a floor or a ground level. Until the forks are parallel to a floor or a ground level the laser light will not be continuously on. When an operator of the forklift is adjusting to a floor or ground level, and then parallel to a floor or ground level, as the level positions are being approached, the laser light appears in a blinking sequence with the off periods initially being longer and then becoming shorter as the level positions are approached. Then when the level positions of the forks are reached the laser light is on full time.
Yet still at this adjustment period, each fork, although being horizontal, may not be in the same horizontal plane with the other fork. Therefore to further assist the operator of a forklift so he or she may be very sure that the forks will correctly enter the fork receiving volume of a pallet, a laser lighting assembly is designed to project a planar beam of laser light, which appears, when reflected, as a line beam of laser light. This planar beam is of a sufficient line length to let the operator know when he or she has, as necessary, further adjusted the level of the forks tips of the level forks, so they are both in the same horizontal plane. Then when this horizontally. lined beam of laser light disappears at the fork receiving volume of the pallet, the operator of the forklift is further assured, the forks, which are horizontally level and in the same horizontal plane, will perfectly enter the forks receiving volume of the pallet, and no product or products loaded on the pallet will be damaged by the forward movement of the forklift to place the forks into their lifting positions in the fork receiving volume of a pallet.
At all times, the operator of a forklift may turn a master on-off switch to the selected position Then, in addition, timing apparatus and circuitry is provided, so when the master switch has been left on, but the forklift has not been maneuvered during a preset time, the laser lighting assembly will be automatically shut off, and battery energy will be preserved.